


burning it down (tangled up in you)

by CerinityKS



Series: as it begins [1]
Category: The Martian (2015), The Martian - All Media Types, The Martian - Andy Weir
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, M/M, Nightmares, Pre-Slash, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 07:31:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4820645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerinityKS/pseuds/CerinityKS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark has nightmares. Chris does his best to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	burning it down (tangled up in you)

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from taylor swifts 'wildest dreams'
> 
> i might make this one a series, i have a few ideas on how to possibly continue it, but we'll see

Mark has nightmares.

A good night’s sleep is something that has eluded him since he was rescued from Mars, something that, frankly, pisses him off a little. 

He’s in a bed, a _real_ bed, for the first in months, and stupid _nightmares_ keep him from sleeping through the night. 

Fuck you Mars. 

He doesn’t always remember what horrors his mind comes up with when he’s dreaming, but he remembers enough. Every fear he held on Mars, everything that could have gone wrong but _didn’t_ , comes to life at night when he sleeps. 

The only reprieve he had was that they didn’t wake him _every_ night, but it was close enough. 

‘Rude,’ Mark huffed, after his heart had calmed and he had stopped shaking so much. The latest nightmare was already fading, but it had left its mark, just like all the others. 

Mark knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep so instead he carefully, and oh so slowly, levered himself up from the bed. He paused, and waited to see if his ribs would protest, before silently fist pumping when he felt nothing more than a slight ache. 

Chris had only recently taken him off bed rest and it was kinda sad how excited it made him. He understood Chris’s concerns; broken ribs, yada yada yada, malnutrition, nag nag nag, decreased stamina and muscle mass, blah blah blah. 

Whatever, he was fine. He survived Mars after all; he could totally survive his own body mutinying against him. So take _that_ , Doc Bossy Beck! 

The ship was eerily silent, most of the crew asleep (like he should be), and it was times like this that reminded Mark how silent and kinda depressing space could be. 

There was no one in the kitchen when Mark got there, so he happily set about making himself a cup of coffee. 

“Mark?” 

Mark did _not_ yelp at that, no matter what Chris told anyone. 

He whirled around, eyes wide, and then hunched over a bit as his ribs screamed in protest. Chris swore and hurried forward, one warm hand settling on Mark’s shoulder, the other on his back. 

“Just breathe, that’s it Mark, slowly now,” Chris guided him towards a chair and sat him down gently. Mark leaned against Chris’s hip, face pale, and forced a laugh. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be making me better doc?” 

Chris scoffed and ran a hand soothingly across Mark’s shoulders. 

“Maybe if you were in bed where you are _supposed_ to be, instead of trying to sneak a cup of coffee that you _aren’t supposed to have yet_ , you wouldn’t have gotten startled,” Chris points out, way too reasonably if you ask Mark. 

“It is entirely too early for you to be so logical,” Mark complained. 

Chris rolled his eyes and stepped away. Mark had to resist the (very strong) urge to whimper and pull him back. 

He’d been craving touch since coming back from Mars, something he had done his best to hide from the crew. Mark had never been an overly tactile person before Mars though, and he honestly just didn’t know how to deal with these new urges. 

Being in close proximity to Chris on a daily basis didn’t help either. Mark wanted to play it off, the urge to be _closer_ to Chris than the others, as the fact that Chris was the first person he’d seen, _touched_ , in nearly two years. 

Mark wasn’t in the habit of lying to himself though, not anymore, so even though he’d like to deny it, he knew the urge to touch and _be touched_ by Chris was stronger for completely different reasons. 

A lot of those reasons not so innocent. 

Instead of giving into his urges he pushed them down and watched as Chris put the still unmade coffee away. 

“Come on now, back to bed,” Chris gave Mark a pointed look. 

Mark made a face back at him but stood slowly, careful not to hurt himself again. Chris walked with him back to his room, which Mark was still holed up in. Mark knew Chris was sleeping with Beth while Mark commandeered his bed and tried very, _very_ , hard not to think about that fact. 

“Try to get back to sleep, okay?” Chris whispered after he made sure Mark was safely back in bed. 

Mark nodded and forced a smile. “Yeah, course. I’ll see you in the morning?” or what passed as morning while being propelled through space. 

“Bright and early,” Chris warned. Mark groaned, and Chris grinned at him, bright and mischievous, and Mark felt his breath catch. They stared at each other for a long moment before Chris finally turned away, and the moment broke. 

“Goodnight Mark,” Chris whispered, and then he was gone, and Mark was left alone with his thoughts once more. 

\- 

The next night Mark wasn’t surprised when a few hours after he finally managed to get to sleep, he was woken once more by a nightmare. 

Unlike the previous times however, there was something different about this time. 

There was someone _in bed with him_. 

“Sssh, it’s okay, you’re safe, you’re safe, I’m here, I’ve got you,” someone was whispering, their body pressed up against Mark’s back, and their arms wrapped around him securely. It was the safest he’d felt in ages, and the feeling of being pressed so firmly against someone was nearly euphoric. 

“It’s okay Mark, I’m here, you’re not on Mars anymore, you’re safe,” and with sudden clarity Mark realized it was _Chris_ pressed up against him, _Chris_ comforting him. 

Mark was still shaking and whimpering, and Chris continued to comfort him. How did Chris even know? He hadn’t told anyone about his nightmares - not to mention, why was Chris _cuddling_ him, _spooning_ him in bed? 

Just, what the hell was happening? 

Slowly, ever so slowly, Mark calmed, his shaking ceasing and his whimpering reduced to the occasional whine. 

“Sssh, that’s it, that’s it Mark, you’re safe, you’re okay,” Chris continued to whisper soothing things, lips pressed underneath Mark’s ear. 

Mark tried to keep his eyes awake, wanted to ask Chris what the hell was happening, but he was so _warm_ , and _safe_. 

Quickly, way too quickly, Mark felt himself being pulled under again, and between one breath and the next he was asleep. 

\- 

Chris didn’t bring it up the next morning, and Mark wondered if maybe he’d just dreamed the whole thing. 

But then it happened again that night, and the night after that, and it _kept happening_ , and Mark didn’t know what to think. 

They never talked about it, and Mark still didn’t know how the hell Chris even _knew_ to begin with. However, every night without fail, Mark would have a nightmare, and Chris would be there to soothe him through it. 

So Mark planned (he was very good at planning, he thought) and he decided that he would be the adult in this instance (for once, and fuck you very much Chris for making him do this, but not really, unless that’s what he wanted, then cool) and that night he stayed up. 

He feigned sleep, doing his best not to slip under for real, and waited. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long, and maybe an hour later he heard the door swish open and soft footsteps padding across the floor to the bed. 

A moment later the sheet lifted and a body slid in behind his. Mark heard Chris let out a soft sigh as he slid forward and pressed against Mark gently, and an arm settled around his waist. 

Silence settled over them, and Mark felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for something to happen, though _what_ he had no idea. 

“You’re awake, aren’t you?” Chris breathed. 

Mark swallowed, then moved one of his hands to grip the one Chris had slung over his waist. 

“Yeah,” Mark replied. 

“How long have you known?” 

“A week and a half?” Mark shrugged. 

Chris nodded against the back of his neck and breathed out shakily. 

“I noticed you’re nightmares a few nights after we rescued you,” Chris started, and Mark tightened his grip on Chris’s hand. 

“I didn’t know what to do though, and I figured maybe they would go away, that it would take care of itself, but then you _kept having them_ , and I realized you weren’t sleeping very often, and I felt so _helpless_ again,” Chris’s hand fisted under his own, body tense behind Mark’s. 

“So one night I came in to check on you, and you were having another nightmare, and I just-” Chris trailed off, and Mark nodded. 

“If you want me to leave-” Chris continued, body pulling away a bit, Mark tensed and gripped Chris’s hand tighter. 

“No!” he pleaded, and winced at how pathetic he sounded. Chris froze, and Mark could feel the flush working its way across his face. 

“I mean, please don’t leave me alone,” he whispered. He inhaled shakily, fingers flexing across Chris’s hand, and slowly Chris uncurled his fist and twisted his hand to slide their fingers together and then interlock them. 

“Okay, I’ll stay,” Chris settled against him again and Mark sighed in relief. Chris seemed to understand without Mark having to say anything, and he was grateful for that as Chris pressed against him. 

“Thank you,” Mark breathed. 

“You don’t have to hold things back Mark,” Chris squeezed his hand. “The whole crew is here for you, _I’m_ here for you. If you need something, just tell us, okay?” 

Mark nodded, and when Chris tightened his arms he had to repress a whimper. God it felt so good to be held by another person. 

(it was even better that the person doing the holding was _Chris_ ) 

“Now go to sleep, I’ll be here,” Chris whispered, body warm and firm behind him, and it took him no time at all to slip under. 

It was honestly the best night’s sleep Mark ever remembered getting.

**Author's Note:**

> find [this](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/post/129318495806/burning-it-down-tangled-up-in-you) and [me](http://rinnielove.tumblr.com/) on tumblr x


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